Crucial Conversations: Blake and Yang
by charmeleon123
Summary: Team RWBY is reunited at Haven, but things between Blake and Yang are still strained. Before they head out to Argus, Blake and Yang need to patch things up if Team RWBY is going to survive. Post Volume 5.


**So this is the first piece of a series I'd like to call Crucial Conversations. Basically, this is the conversation I wish we'd gotten to see in the main series that never ended up happening. This takes place just after Volume 5 in the weeks between Volume 5 and Volume 6. This is my first time trying my hand at something like this, so please leave a review and let me know what you think! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!**

**I do not own Rooster Teeth or RWBY. **

…_Yang?_

The way she'd said her name. Yang could still hear it ring in her head. _Blake._ And then Ruby had told her to follow her mom, and long story short, that was a thing.

When she'd come back out of the vault with the lamp, Blake had averted her eyes, but not before Yang saw the pride in those liquid pools of amber. Her bow was off too, and since that day she hadn't put it back on. Yang was proud of how far Blake had come and glad that she felt comfortable enough to really be herself. Even better, team RWBY was finally back together, and that was all that mattered, right?

But it had been a week already, and the shy Faunus had become even more introverted than when they'd first met, if that was even possible. She'd taken to leaving rooms that Yang entered, waking up early and leaving before Yang was awake to go to whatever new excuse of a place she'd come up with, sleeping (or maybe pretending to sleep) the moment Yang walked in to get ready for bed.

It hurt. A lot. They needed to talk.

_And just like last time, _I'm_ the one that has to start it. _Yang couldn't help but feel some resentment towards Blake's passivity. It was _Blake_ who had hurt her, after all, not the other way around.

Early in the morning, Blake got up and quietly padded out of their room, the door making a soft click behind her. _Creature of habit, as always._ Yang rolled out of bed, dropped to the floor, and headed out just as quietly so as not to wake the sleeping princess and her cookie-fanatic of a partner.

She got her bearings just enough to see Blake turn around a corner leading to the living room. Yang followed, trying not to make a sound. Just as Blake's hand touched the doorknob leading outside, she paused and sighed.

"Yang, go back to bed." Blake hadn't even turned around.

Yang made no sound but continued to watch from behind the hallway.

"I know you're there, Yang."

"Alright, you got me." Yang emerged from the shadow of the hallway. "What gave it away?"

Blake turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Other than your feet stomping around like a buffoon?"

Yang chuckled. "Seriously! I thought I was being quiet!"

"If by quiet you mean making the floorboards creak with every step, then yeah, great job."

"Hey, I can't help my fabulous figure." Yang tossed her hair and posed, evoking a roll of the eyes and a small smile from Blake. Yang's heart leaped up hopefully; this was the first interaction they'd had since Haven...no, since the Fall of Beacon, that hadn't crumbled in awkwardness. Almost immediately though, Blake's expression sobered up, and she turned back towards the door.

"You should really go, Yang."

"…you really mean that?" Blake stiffened at the brokenness in Yang's voice. This was not the Yang she'd been best of friends with a few short months ago. Yang was a ray of sunshine. To hear Yang sound like this was…wrong. And she was the cause of it.

"Yang, its—"

"Blake, I thought we were over this!" Blake felt the temperature behind her go up ten degrees, and she sighed again and turned to face a blazing Yang. She only knew she was on fire from the sudden heat; Blake's eyes were focused on the floor, unable to look her partner in the eye.

"What the hell happened Blake? You _promised_ us, promised _me_, that you weren't going anywhere! And I really wanted to believe it. I decided to try to trust you again. And then here you are, just running again."

"But I am here—"

"You call this pathetic excuse of an existence, 'being here'?!"

"I—"

"I thought we were _friends_, Blake." Blake flinched instinctively at Yang's words, her cat ears folding as her heart broke.

"Does this…mean we're not?"

It was Yang's turn to sigh, the temperature cooling down a little. "I dunno. You tell me." Yang glanced at Blake's hand, which was still resting on the doorknob. Blake cringed. _She thinks I still want to run away_.

"Can we—can we talk outside? There's a park nearby. I just—don't want any…interruptions."

Yang's eyes narrowed, but all she said was, "Fine."

* * *

Blake gulped in the fresh air, glad for the coolness for once. It gave her something to focus on besides the living heater next to her. There were too many emotions swirling inside her, revolving one way or another around the blustering blonde, to sort out. Leaving the confines of the house, which had felt emotionally stifling from the moment Yang had walked into the living room, had been a good choice. A breath of fresh air sorely needed to clear her muddied head.

The walk to the park was short. No one was about at this early hour; the sun itself was just beginning to color the sky a lighter shade of blue, its yellow face still hidden below the horizon. A strong chilly breeze blew, and Blake resisted the urge to move closer to the blonde's side. Her heart ached at her instinct and the seemingly irreparable gulf between them. _And I brought this on us. It's all my fault. _

She led the way past the playground to a small gazebo out in the middle of the lawn. Yang settled herself on a bannister, one leg up and the other crossed underneath as she leaned back against a pillar. Blake took her spot leaning against the adjacent pillar, arms crossed and one leg bent so her foot pressed back against the pillar she was leaning on. For a few minutes neither girl said anything, until the silence became too uncomfortable to bear.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Yang." Blake whispered, staring at the floor.

"Yeah?" Blake winced at the bite in Yang's tone. "Well, its kinda too late for that already."

"I—I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For—what do you mean?"

"You don't get it, do you."

Blake's temper flared at the insinuation. "So I'm just stupid or something?!"

"Sometimes I wonder if you are, Blake!" Yang's eyes were red now. "I just don't get it anymore! I've tried and tried to reach you, but every time I think I'm getting somewhere you just run away! I even lost an arm for you! What more do you want from me? What is it going to take to keep you?!"

Blake winced at the reminder of that fateful night. "I didn't want to leave you, but I didn't have another choice."

"Yeah, because apparently only _Faunus_ are allowed to keep you company."

Blake's eyes stung. The way she had said Faunus, like it was something beneath her…Blake wasn't sure she knew who Yang was anymore. "That's all I'll ever be, huh? Just a Faunus. A little pet you can keep on a leash for your amusement."

Yang's eyes widened slightly, realizing her mistake, and she quickly tried to backpedal. "Blake, that wasn't what I meant—"

"The mouth utters what the heart holds. You just said it."

"Blake, listen—"

"NO YOU LISTEN!" Blake yelled, hands balled up into fists at her side. "I'm not some animal that you can just say whatever you want just to get it off your chest! I have feelings too you know! You yell at me the way Adam used to and then blame me for running!"

"Blake, I'm sorry—"

"_Sorry_?!" Blake was fuming. "Save me your pity, _blondie_."

Yang's arm itched at the name, but she pressed on undeterred. "Please Blake, just calm down—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Yang winced as she remembered the very words she'd uttered just a few weeks ago. "Please, we can talk this through—"

"No we're done here. If you won't respect me for who I am, I'll find someone who will." Blake turned and started walking quickly away.

"Blake, wait!" Yang followed Blake down the steps of the gazebo.

"Not a step closer, _human_!" Yang ignored her. Blake started sprinting and Yang chased after her.

"Stop!" Yang huffed out. "Please, I shouldn't have said that!" They were at a street intersection now. Blake crossed without difficulty, jumping lightly onto a car before somersaulting to the floor and continuing up the sidewalk. Caught up in her emotions, Yang simply barged across the street, too focused on Blake's fleeing figure to notice anything else.

_HOOOONK!_

Just in the nick of time, Yang managed to fire a shot from her metal arm that propelled her out of the car's reach. She clumsily smacked the ground, but got up immediately and began running again, oblivious to the abrasions on her arm and legs. "BLAKE!"

Yang saw the tail end of Blake's coat veer around a corner, Gambol shroud's ribbon whipping her around quickly, and she barreled after her. _Dammit, if only I had my gauntlet!_ Unlike Blake, whose intention had been to go outside from the get go, Yang had left her weapon behind, and now she was sorely regretting it. Though luckily her robotic arm meant she was never unarmed (no pun intended), she needed the punch of Ember Celica to propel herself forward properly. Cursing under her breath, she rounded the corner and came face to face with…

Nothing. The alleyway was empty except for a few tiny boxes Blake could never fit into. "Blake?" Hoping against hope, Yang still checked anyway. No sign of the cat faunus.

"Please, Blake—" A sob escaped Yang, and she kicked a box in her anger. "DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!"

_She's gone._ _And its all your fault._ With a yell, Yang punched threw a few more boxes, and the force of her blows sent a gale down the alleyway that blew the boxes and everything else fifteen feet away. Only then did she let the sobs overtake her, collapsing to her knees. _Blake…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It just hurts. First my mom. Then Summer. Then…oh Blake, please don't do this to me. Not again._

* * *

Blake lay flat on the roof, panting. _How dare she insult me like that! As if she didn't know how hard its already been for me!_ Her hands clenched and unclenched themselves.

Blake had been nervous about this conversation from the start. It had taken tremendous courage for her to break the silence and try to start the conversation. And how had Yang treated her in response? With anger, contempt, and insults. _THIS is why I should have stayed away Sun! I don't know why I even bothered listening to you. I've—I've hurt her too much to ever be around her, and she basically said as much with the way she's treated me. Why else would she wave that arm in my face? No. No more. We're done._

The finality of her last thought stabbed her through the heart and she curled up into a ball. _Yang, I'm sorry! I've hurt you so much. This will be the last time I ever hurt you, Yang, I promise. I'll stay as far away from you as I can, so that you don't get hurt anymore. Even if it tears me apart._

* * *

Yang burst back through the doors of the house. The room was empty save for Weiss, who was just cleaning up breakfast (Qrow was already out gathering information, while team JNR had gone to buy more groceries and Ruby and Oscar had followed so they could check out the weapons store next door). She looked up with an annoyed expression.

"Well _somebody_'s late to breakfast! Don't ask me to clean up after you and Blake when you're done."

"Weiss, I need your help!" The urgency in Yang's tone wasn't missed, and the ex-heiress took a closer look at her teammate.

"Yang, what's wrong?"

"It's Blake. She's…" A lump formed in Yang's throat and she looked down as her eyes burned.

"What?! Spit it out!"

"She's…gone." With that admission, Yang slunk down to a chair and put her head in her hands. Weiss's face softened and she put down the dishes, wiped her hands with a towel and took a seat next to her.

Weiss waited a few minutes, but when nothing else was forthcoming, she tentatively asked, "What…happened?"

Yang took a few more breaths before responding. "I…we…went out to talk. I was…angry, and hurt, and said some things I shouldn't have. She got mad…and then she just…ran away from me."

"Did you follow her?"

"Of course I did! What kind of a partner do you think I am?!" Weiss leaned back, eyes wide, and Yang realized her eyes had gone red again. "Sorry, Weiss." The flames died out again and Weiss could see the hurt in her lilac eyes. "I chased her across the street and into an alleyway, but then she disappeared. I don't know where she is anymore. She's…gone." Yang buried her face in her hands again, as the tears threatened to spill over again. Weiss laid a hand on her shoulder until Yang calmed down a little.

"Do you want me to come with you to look for her?"

"I just don't see the point anymore."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Yang sighed. "It just…maybe she really just wants to be alone."

Weiss took her hand back. "I can't believe what my ears are hearing."

"What?"

Weiss shook her head. "Yang Xiao Long, that is the most absurd thing I have ever heard."

"But I've tried so many times already! What's the point if she keeps insisting on leaving?"

"Do you even remember _anything_ about our last conversation?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Weiss crossed her arms and glared at the confused blonde. "I _told_ you she tried to protect us, and that the moment her walls came down, the universe proved her right."

"So what?"

"SO think! Why is she still leaving you?"

"Because she doesn't care anymore!"

Weiss smacked her on the forehead. "No you big dumb Ursa! She's running _because_ she still cares about you!"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed. "She thinks that if she continues to stick around Adam will find you and kill you, along with everyone else she cares about. So to prevent that, she's keeping her distance."

Yang sat there, dumbfounded. "How—how do you know that?"

Weiss rolled her eyes again. "I _know_, because I actually _talked_ to her! And you need to do the same!"

"But I just tried-"

"Upupupupup!"

"But—"

"Upup!" Yang shut her mouth. Weiss waited until she was certain Yang was listening before she went on. "When you went to go 'talk', did you actually listen to her?"

"Of course I did!"

"Okay, so what did she tell you?"

"She said—" Yang paused, her face scrunched up in thought. "She said she…didn't want to leave." Yang exhaled slowly, the words sinking in. "She didn't want to leave. But she didn't have a choice. And…" Yang sunk further into her chair as the words hit her, "she never wanted to hurt me."

Weiss nodded. "Precisely. And what did she hear from you?"

Yang closed her eyes and winced. "Nothing good."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"What?"

"Go after her, dummy!"

"But I don't even know where to find her!"

Weiss smacked her in the head again. "Seriously, if your head was any more dense, you could give a rock a run for its lien right now. What are you, braindead?"

"Well if you keep hitting me in the head, I probably will be!"

"You never had much in there to begin with," Weiss quipped. Yang crossed her arms with a "hmph!" Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Think Yang! Where does Blake always go when things are bothering her?"

"She always goes to…the library!" Yang's face lit up, only to fall back into a frown. "But she'll just run when she sees me. She won't give me a chance to explain myself."

"I'm not helping you anymore Yang. I _think_ you have enough brain cells to figure it out now." Weiss stood up daintily and with a princess-y twirl of her skirts turned back to finish up the dishes.

Yang sat there a few more minutes, eyebrows furrowed in thought until finally it clicked. She stood up, a determined smile on her face.

"You've been a great help Weiss. But I need to ask you for one more thing for this to work."

Weiss turned around and glared at her. "What _is_ it?"

Yang nervously ran her hand through her hair and twisted her foot behind her, looking very much like a well-known redheaded dork caught with her hand in a cookie jar. "I _kinda_ used up my allowance on getting Bumblebee tuned up after everything with Raven." She gave Weiss a sheepish look.

"What are you getting at?"

"Can I borrow some lien? I promise I'll pay you back!"

Weiss paused and gave her a hard look. "_How_ much? I'm not exactly rich anymore you know!"

"Just thirty!"

"Ugh!" Weiss turned back to the dishes, deliberating. Finally, she huffed out, "Fine!" Yang's face broke into an excited grin. "BUT!" Weiss pointed a spatula at her grinning teammate. "You better pay me back! AND this better be all for Blake!"

"OkaythankyousomuchWeissIpromiseI'llpayyoubacknowIgottagoseeyou!" Yang sped into their room, grabbed the necessary change out of Weiss's fancy wallet and ran out the door.

Weiss smiled a little to herself as the door banged shut. _Thirty lien is worth it if it gets these two back on the right track_.

* * *

Blake had found a comfy unoccupied corner in the giant Haven Academy library. It hadn't been hard to find, since most of the students were still away on break. She had just finished reading Ninjas of Destiny, the sequel to Ninjas of Love, and was about to get up to search for another book when a brown hooded figure came up to her. The stranger was doubled over and wore a black bandana over most of their face such that Blake couldn't tell if the person was a guy or a girl. Her eyes were a lilac color. _Yang's eyes! But- _Blake's eyes narrowed as she noticed what looked like cat ears underneath the hood. _It's not Yang then. Could it be the White Fang again? Or someone working with Adam? Or maybe even one of Salem's minions? _She tensed up, reaching back for Gambol shroud just in case, as the hooded figure brought something out of its cloak.

Just then, the stranger coughed violently. Blake watched, eyes wide as the coughing fit subsided and the stranger held out the object in their hands. "From the librarian," the person said gruffly. "Thought you might like it." The stranger descended back into a coughing fit and Blake relaxed as she realized the object was a book. _Whoever it is, they're probably wearing that bandana because of the cough. Stop being so paranoid Blake. _The stranger shuffled away, and Blake looked at the book in her hands.

_Ninjas of Fate! The third and final installment in the series. _Blake ran her hand lovingly down the cover before opening up to the first chapter. A folded piece of paper fell out. _What's this?_ Intrigued, Blake opened it up and began to read:

_Dear Blake,_

_I'm truly sorry for what I said earlier about Faunus. That was not okay, no matter how frustrated I was, and I've been beating myself up about it since. You're an incredible person, and partner, and teammate, and I love you for who you are, not what you are. I'm also sorry for losing my temper. I know I can be hotheaded and stubborn at times, but it still doesn't make it okay. _

_Weiss told me about Adam. I'm really sorry, I didn't realize I remind you of him. Or that he threatened to kill me and everyone else you love. He sounds like a total douchebag, and the next time I see him I'm pounding him into a pulp for what he did. Not just for what he did to my arm, but what he did to you._

_So yeah. My arm. It's not as big of a deal as you're making it Blake. I'm…fine now. I'm kind of used to it. It's weird, its starting to feel like I never lost my arm in the first place. My arm doesn't hurt, and if anything I'm stronger now. The thing really packs a punch, as my dad says, and everyone will think twice before messing with me. Yeah, what happened that night sucked. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard at first realizing I'd lost a part of me forever. But I'd do it all again if it meant I could protect you._

_What hurt the most Blake, was losing you. I honestly thought you knew better. Do you remember the day before the dance, when I told you about my mom and Summer? Well, it felt like that. After you left I mean. When you left, it felt like I was losing Summer and my mom all over again. Like I was being left alone again. But it hurt even more this time, because you had promised to keep us in the loop. I thought after everything with Torchwick you understood. But instead you just…ran. I don't even blame you for running; I know its worked for you before. But I wish you had just told us. We—I care about you Blake. You're the closest person I have to a real friend. And I thought you'd be there for me when I lost my arm, just like I've tried to be there for you. But you weren't...and that was inifinitely more painful than losing my arm to Adam. _

_And then when I heard that **Sun** of all people had managed to find you and accompany you all the way to Menagerie, it just…hurt. I don't know, maybe I was jealous that he got to be there for you and I couldn't. That you trusted him and let him be with you, but left me behind. I wondered if maybe you felt it was because I would never be able to understand you the way another faunus could. But I thought I had tried really hard to understand, back at Beacon. I did the best I could. But still, I was angry that you never told us. I thought you trusted me…and you choosing Sun made me think you actually didn't. That maybe it had just all been in my head._

_Well, anyway, I want you to know that I still care about you. You don't have to keep shutting yourself out. I don't blame you for anything Adam did to me, and you shouldn't blame yourself either. I hope we can actually talk this time, and I promise I'll shut up and listen. I want to hear it from you. Just give me another chance. Please. I don't deserve it after what I said, and you can still be mad at me after. But you deserve to be heard, at least. Please. _

_Love,_

_Yang_

Blake's hands shook as tears spilled onto her lap. _Oh Yang._ She hugged the letter to her chest as her shoulders racked with quiet sobs. _I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I should have known better than to run away. _Blake rested her head on her knees.

A hand touched Blake's shoulder. "You okay, miss?"

Blake looked up to see the hooded figure again. "Where…where did you get this?" Blake asked, in between sniffs.

In response, the figure pulled off their bandana and pulled back the hood, revealing flowing blonde hair with a cat ear headband. "Right here," Yang smiled gently at her.

Blake stared for a moment, stunned. "Y—Yang?"

"Yup, it's me."

"Bu—but" Blake spluttered. Realization dawned on Blake as she realized the ears were fake, and Yang was doing her best to hide her grin and failing miserably.

"You big oaf!" Blake shoved Yang lightly. Yang simply laughed. "You tricked me!" she accused.

"It was the only way I knew you'd listen." Yang's face grew serious and she knelt down and looked Blake in the eye. "I meant every word too. I'm sorry."

Blake looked down, ears folded in shame. "No Yang, it's _I_ who should be saying sorry, not you. I hurt you by running away. And I did it again here."

"Hey," Yang said gently. Blake looked up. "It's okay. I know you would never hurt me on purpose."

Blake's ears perked back up again and she smiled a little at Yang's admission. "So…you're not mad at me?"

Yang sighed, and Blake's face fell a little. "I still am a little bit. But I'd like to actually talk, if that's okay."

Blake wiped away a tear. "Of course."

Yang immediately broke into a goofy grin, which confused Blake. "But first things first! I got you something." Yang reached into her cloak.

"Y—Yang, you didn't have to—"

"Tada!" Yang declared loudly, and several people, Blake included, had to hiss "shhh!" at her. At the sight of what Yang was holding though, Blake promptly forgot her lecture on library etiquette.

It was a bowl of tuna. And not just any tuna. Tuna sashimi bento from the best restaurant in town. "Something for us to share."

"Sh—share?" Yang watched the conflicting emotions on Blake's face between her desire to make things up with Yang and her desire to eat all the tuna and laughed.

"I'm kidding Blake. I knew you'd want it all to yourself. So I bought my own." Yang took a second container out of the box, which had a fire salmon volcano roll with extra spicy mayo.

"We're-we're in a library Yang."

"So?"

"We're not supposed to have food in the library."

"Aww come on, there's not even anyone here!"

"A—alright, just this once. Gimme that!" Blake swiped the tuna bento and its accompanying pair of chopsticks and started chowing down hungrily. Yang chuckled and settled down next to her, and Blake took a pause between bites to lean into Yang's warmth. Pleased at the friendly touch, Yang inclined her head to rest against Blake's, whose cat ear flicked gently against Yang's cheek. They chewed contentedly for awhile, just savoring each other's presence.

Finally, Blake said, "Thank you, Yang."

"For what?"

"For finding me."

"You're my partner, Blake. And…my friend." Blake's heart warmed at the statement. "Also, it was a lot of fun haha."

"I appreciate it." Blake sat up a little. "But seriously. Cat ears? Really?" Yang laughed at Blake's semi-miffed expression.

"They're really cute!"

"Hmph!"

"They're _purr_ty adorable."

Blake rolled her eyes. "I forget how much I missed your puns."

"What, everyone likes my puns! They're never a _cat_astrophe." Yang grinned.

"Yang!"

"Plus I was _feline_ like wearing them!"

"Ugh," groaned Blake.

_Some things never change_, they both thought with a smile.


End file.
